An A-Z of the Forum

[Lady Valkyrie]

Please refer also to the general Forumotion FAQ which may help with login, registration and password issues, and generalities of forum use which may help if you have never been a member of a forum before.
https://spiritualsolace.forumotion.co.uk/faq

An A-Z of Information Specific to the Spiritual Solace Learning Space

All areas of the Learning Space can be accessed from the header menu:
HOME - Full listing of all the forums
CALENDAR - Calendar of forum and member events - I will work on adding holy days one religion at a time
FAQ - As above
SEARCH - Search for a specific topic or member
MEMBERLIST
USERGROUPS
PROFILE - Here you can edit your "about me" information, avatar and forum signature and provide links for your email and/or website
PRIVATE MESSAGES
LOG IN / OUT - If you are logged in your username will be displayed

AGE LIMITS
- You may only post on this forum if you are 16 years of age or older. There is no upper age limit.

AVATARS
- You can add an avatar from your profile. You can select a gallery avatar, or upload an avatar of your own. Maximum file size is 150x200 pixels. You may need to re-size some images first - even the simplest editing applications such as Paint will allow you to do this.
- You may not use overtly sexual or offensive images in your avatar. These will be deleted and may result in warning or suspension.

CENSORING
- "Four-letter words" and their derivatives, including alternate spellings of, are censored. **** will appear if you try to type them. This is a Forumotion rule and not the decision of site staff. If further alternatives are deliberately found they will be added to the censor list by admin and you will receive a warning. It is not very spiritual, in any case, to use highly offensive language.
- Please be aware that there are regional differences between what words are considered offensive. I may not have censored a word you find offensive, if you notice this please report the post and I will edit and censor it. Some words, additionally, can be used in different contexts. These are not censored, but if you use them in the context of swearing your post will be edited and if you do this repeatedly you will receive a warning.
- Soft swearing is generally OK as long as you don't type the actual word. However you may not use it to abuse, offend or verbally attack another member. It is ONLY acceptable as an expression of anger or emphasis and not directed at anyone in particular. If it is repeatedly abused site staff will reconsider and begin to add soft swears to the censor list (a prime example if you're not sure what I mean is wtf).
- You may not use any form of swearing as part of your username and this may result in an instant ban.

COURSE AND WORKSHOP BOOKINGS
- News of upcoming workshops and courses will be posted in the News and Announcements area.
- For free workshops, no booking is required. All members of the forum will be able to see the workshop forum and may join the activities freely.
- For pre-paid workshops, you must visit the Spiritual Solace webshop or Facebook shop (see below) to book. At the time of payment, send your username along with your PayPal notification. You will then be added to the workshop group and the appropriate forum will appear on the homepage for you. http://spiritualsolace.webeden.co.uk/

DELETING POSTS
- You may edit your own posts but you cannot delete whole topics. If you believe one should be deleted, please report it and add a note as to why for staff to deal with.

FACEBOOK
- We have a Facebook page which includes Angel Messages of the Day, quotes and inspirations, prayer requests, angel experiences, free quickie readings, special giveaways, and more. You can subscribe here (make sure you click "get notifications / news feed" when you hover over the like button):
https://www.facebook.com/spiritualsolace

GUESTS
- Guests are able to see the forum listing and the general Forumotion FAQ. They are not able to see or read the topics within a forum other than the News/Announcement area. They are not able to view profiles, images posted by users or to post or vote in polls.

IMAGES
- You may include images in your posts or signature using BBcode. BBcode looks like this: [URL] [/ URL] It is generated for images by photo hosting websites such as Photobucket and Flickr which are free to use. Copy the BBcode from your photo hosting account and paste it in your post or signature. It is bad internet etiquette to "hotlink" images from other people's websites or photo hosting accounts.

NEWSLETTERS
- Site staff may periodically send newsletters to all members via email regarding upcoming events and forum / Spiritual Solace news. You agree to receive these newsletters by virtue of your registration but you can opt out by altering the settings in your profile preferences.

POINTS SYSTEM
- You can collect points which you will be able to put towards the cost of workshops and courses and which during the festive season each year there will be an opportunity to trade points for mini-readings. These will be by site staff who are experienced readers only.
- You accrue points by being active in the forum! You receive 1 point for replies in all areas except "The Learning Starts Here" and staff-only areas. You receive 3 points for starting new topics in the on-topic forums and 1 point for starting them in the community chat forums.
- From time to time site I may also offer points as rewards for interaction in a particular event.

POLLS
- Only site staff can post polls. All members are able to vote in polls.

POSTING RIGHTS
- All members can view, read, reply and make new posts in most forums.
- In course or workshop forums, only the course leaders and assistants can make new posts, to keep the course material clear and free of any unrelated content. Members of the workshop can view, read and reply as normal.

PRIVATE MESSAGES
- Members can only send private messages when they have made 20 posts. This is a measure to prevent spam being sent in private messages.
- You may have 50 PMs in your inbox and savebox, and 25 in your sentbox and outbox. After this you will need to have a clear-up!

PROFILE
- Your user profile has numerous tabs: registration information, preferences, signature and avatar being the most useful to you.
- I would recommend setting up your preferences early on. You need to specify if you do not wish to receive email notifications when people reply to you, and specify the methods by which other members and site staff may contact you, so it is important for your privacy.

RANKS
- There are several user ranks aside from the staff ranks, to enable members to see at a glance who has been around for longer and may be able to help with different questions. These are:
Seeker (0-24 posts)
Soul Searcher (25-99 posts)
Mystic (100-499 posts)
Guru (500+ posts and has not at this time chosen to become an Earth Angel)

READINGS ETIQUETTE
- Members may offer readings for fun and practice in the Readings Exchange subforum of the Library.
- Members may not ask for money for readings on this forum either overtly or in PMs, though if you have your own website or Facebook page where you sell readings you can make ONE post in the News and Announcements area about it which you may then bump up when you add new products or special events - any more than this is considered spam. You may also include the link(s) in your signature.
- Members may not request free readings in the Readings Exchange. Readings take a lot of time and energy to complete. When people who are able to read have time and energy and wish to offer free readings, they will do so. Free reading requests will be removed by staff as they put unnecessary pressure on members who are able to read, and paid readings are readily available in the Spiritual Solace webshop: http://spiritualsolace.webeden.co.uk/

REPORTING POSTS
- You may report a post which you believe contravenes any of the Forumotion or Spiritual Solace Learning Space rules and guidelines by clicking the ! button within the post or by contacting a member of site staff.
- Site staff will try to get back to you by PM as soon as possible regarding action taken. Please respect staff decisions as we will always endeavour to be fair. Please be patient as staff are volunteers and have busy lives.

SIGNATURES
- You may add a signature which will appear after all your posts in your profile. This may contain images, text and links. Space is limited so choose wisely!
- You MAY include a signature link to your own SPIRITUAL, CREATIVE OR CRAFT website or online business, including Etsy shops, blogs and Facebook pages. You MAY not include links which would be considered spam, ie if they have nothing to do with the content of this forum. You MAY not include links in your signature to other forums.
- If you cannot see your signature, check that you have "Always attach my signature" checked in the Preferences area of your profile. Posts made prior to doing this will not automatically display your signature. If you want to go back and make them do so, edit the post and check "attach signature" under OPTIONS at the bottom.

SITE STAFF
- All site staff are volunteers. Please therefore be patient and understanding when you ask staff to perform tasks. Admin will try to ensure there is always at least one member of staff around and if there is ever reason for all staff to be missing at the same time, temporary or additional staff will be appointed.
- Site staff consist of Earth Angels, Guides and Leaders. Earth Angels will be able to help with your spiritual questions. Guides and Leaders can additionally help with moderation tasks or technical issues. You can apply to become an Earth Angel when you reach 500 posts. When the need for new Guides arises, Earth Angels will be invited to apply. When the need for new Leaders arises, Guides will be invited to apply. The founders of this forum obviously have become Guides and Leaders from the outset!
- Associated with workshops and courses there may also be temporary Course Leaders and Assistants.

SPECIFIC FORUM RULES
- Some of the forums here have specific rules which you will find stickied in that forum with a READ ME FIRST warning. You must adhere to this rules when posting in that area of the forum.

USERGROUPS
- The Leader and Guide usergroups are closed groups for site staff only.
- The Earth Angels usergroup is for long-term members with 500+ posts on the forum who feel they can contribute content and spend some time each week keeping the forum active and sharing their wisdom in replies. Earth Angels will, in effect, be part of the staff team and there will be some "perks" such as being able to sticky posts in some forums and edit the calendar without asking a Leader or Guide. If you reach 500 posts and wish to be considered please contact Lady Valkyrie.
- There will also be a closed group created for every pre-paid workshop we run on the Learning Space. You will only be given access to these groups once you have paid for the workshop or course via the Spiritual Solace webshop or Facebook shop.

USERNAMES
- Spiritual people tend to grow, change and evolve! You are able to change your username as you see fit, correspondingly, in your user profile.

If your question is not answered here or in the Forumotion FAQs please make a new post with your question in this forum and a member of site staff will answer.